Which room should you book at Palace Hotel Tokyo?
Book a Grand Deluxe King: 55 square meters with a private balcony facing Wadakura Fountain Park and the Imperial Palace Plaza, on floors 8 to 15. The Grand Deluxe page gives it a walk-in wardrobe and a marble and glass bathroom with the tub beside a picture window. The king version is the one with the balcony; the twin version trades it for a dining area and desk.
A balcony is the reason to choose this hotel's rooms over the towers nearby. The Aman, the Mandarin Oriental and the Park Hyatt all put their rooms 30 or more floors up. The Palace is lower, across Uchibori Dori, the avenue along the moat, from the palace grounds, and its south-facing balconies put you outside, above the fountains and the trees.
The hotel lists 13 room and suite types on its rooms page, from 45 square meters up to the Palace Suite. It publishes no rates there; book through its site for your dates.
How do the Palace Hotel Tokyo rooms compare?
| Category | Size | Floors | View | Beds | Balcony |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe | 45 m² | 8 to 18 | Imperial Palace and Otemon Gate | King | No |
| Deluxe with Balcony | 45 m² | 8 to 18 | Wadakura Fountain and Imperial Palace Plaza | King or two twins | Yes |
| Grand Deluxe | 55 m² | 8 to 15 | Wadakura Fountain and Imperial Palace Plaza | King or two twins | King rooms only |
| Club Deluxe | 45 m² | 20 to 23 | Imperial Palace and Otemon Gate | King | No |
| Club Grand Deluxe | 55 m² | 16 and 17 | Wadakura Fountain and Imperial Palace Plaza | King or two twins | King rooms only |
| Executive Suite | 75 m² | 16 to 23 | Wadakura Fountain and Imperial Palace Plaza | King | Yes |
| Garden Suite | 75 m² | 22 | Wadakura Fountain and Imperial Palace Plaza | King | Yes |
| Chiyoda Suite | 80 m² | 23 | Wadakura Fountain and Imperial Palace Plaza | Twins that join as a king | Yes |
| Premier Suite | 90 m² | 10 to 15 | Wadakura Fountain and Imperial Palace Plaza | King or two twins | Not stated |
Every room has an open bathroom with a separate tub and shower. The Club rooms and every suite include the Club Lounge, with breakfast, afternoon tea and evening drinks and snacks.
East over the palace gardens, or south with a balcony?
South with a balcony, unless the palace gate itself is what you want to wake up to. The plain Deluxe faces east over the Imperial Palace gardens, the old Otemon Gate and Uchibori Dori, with Shinjuku lit up in the distance at night. It is the most direct view of the palace in the hotel. It has no balcony.
The south side, in the Deluxe with Balcony and Grand Deluxe rooms, looks over Wadakura Fountain Park and the palace plaza, and at night along the skyline from Marunouchi toward Toranomon. The view is wider and less about the gate, and you can open the door and stand in it. For a stay of three nights or more, or anywhere from April to June and in October, I'd take the balcony.
Which room would you skip?
I'd skip the Grand Deluxe Twin if you came for a balcony. Only the king version of the Grand Deluxe has one. For twin beds with outdoor space, book the Deluxe with Balcony twin instead: 10 square meters smaller, but the same south view, and the hotel notes that some of its king rooms connect to the twins, which suits a family.
I'd also think twice about the Club Deluxe for a short stay. The Club Deluxe page puts it higher, on floors 20 to 23, with the same east view as the Deluxe, plus the Club Lounge. If you will use the lounge for breakfast, tea and evening drinks, it is the room to book. If you plan to be out from morning to night, a Grand Deluxe King gives you more room and a balcony instead.
Who should upgrade to a suite?
Upgrade to the Executive Suite for a family, and to the Chiyoda Suite for a couple with an occasion. The Executive Suite is 75 square meters with a balcony and a separate bedroom, and it joins a next-door Club room to make a two-bedroom unit behind one hallway door. The Premier Suite, 90 square meters on floors 10 to 15, can be joined the same way, and has a wine cellar in the minibar.
There is one Chiyoda Suite, on the top floor, the 23rd, facing southwest with a balcony, 80 square meters and a deep wet-room bath and shower lined in izu stone, a volcanic stone from the Izu peninsula. The Garden Suite, on the 22nd, has a jetted tub, a balcony, and Tokyo Tower in its view at night. Both are for two people.
What should you ask for when you book?
Ask for the highest floor in your category, and for a Deluxe with Balcony, say whether you want the connecting pair. The Deluxe categories run from the 8th to the 18th floor, so the spread is real: a higher floor sees more of the park and the skyline beyond it. For Club Grand Deluxe, the room is on 16 or 17 by definition, per its page, which makes it the high-floor version of the room I'd book.
For dinner at the hotel, Sushi Kanesaka has its own booking line and cancellation rules; the omakase guide below lists them.
Does the season change the call?
Yes: the balcony earns its keep in spring and autumn, and matters least in midsummer and midwinter. In late March and early April the moats around the palace are lined with cherry trees, and in November the ginkgo and maple in the palace gardens turn. Those are the weeks I'd want the door open. In July and August, Tokyo's heat makes the balcony a place to stand for five minutes; in January, a room on the east side with the palace gardens in morning sun is just as good, and the Club Deluxe's higher floor is worth more than a balcony you won't use.
What else should you plan around a Palace Hotel Tokyo stay?
The where to stay in Tokyo guide explains why Marunouchi works for a first trip. The Tokyo omakase booking guide covers Sushi Kanesaka inside the hotel. If you land early, the early arrival hotel guide covers the morning. For two other hotels on the palace side of the city, compare the Aman Tokyo room guide and the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo room guide.